Saint Martyr Erasmus From Formia — Szymon Czechowicz

Saint martyr Erasmus from Formia

Admire 'Saint martyr Erasmus from Formia' by Szymon Czechowicz (1700). A Baroque masterpiece featuring a poignant saint portrait, rich details & dramatic chiaroscuro. Explore this captivating oil painting.


szymon czechowicz (1689 - 1775)

Szymon Czechowicz (1689-1775) was a leading Polish Baroque painter renowned for sublime sacral art & portraits. Influenced by Italian masters, he established a painting school and left an immeasurable impact on 18th-century Polish art.

Lithuanian Art Fund (Vilnius, Lithuania)

Explore Lithuanian art from the 15th-20th centuries at the Lithuanian Art Fund in Vilnius! Discover folk art, sculptures, rare books & paintings from the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.

This painting depicts Saint Erasmus, Bishop of Formia (Italy), also known as Saint Elmo, who lived in the 3rd century and died as a martyr during the rule of the emperor Diocletian. The cult of this saint has been widespread in the Catholic Church since antiquity. Starting the Middle Ages, Saint Erasmus has been considered to be one of the fourteen saints helping the believers in times of perils and strife. The saint is portrayed typically, wearing liturgical bishop robes and holding the tool used to torture him - a windlass with his own entrails wrapped around it. These details are typical to the iconography of Saint Erasmus (Text author dr. Rūta Janonienė).